I learned a long time ago in the weather forecasting biz that anyone who claims 80% accuracy for anything, be it meteorological processes, medical efficacy, or photography, is either an outright liar or entirely ignorant of any process important to their discipline (i.e., pulled the number out of their arse). "80%" should be a trigger resulting in great suspicion of anyone claiming it, unless coincidentally backed by rigorous evidence and peer review.
The (a) ZS will get you as close to 100% accuracy as you are likely to find anywhere. The beauty of it is that it will allow you to place exposures, based on extant lighting,
exactly where you want them. Normal panchromatic B/W films generally are not capable of 10 zones of exposure. You fit the available light, as measured with an appropriate (spot)meter to your film's latitude, mostly 7 or 8 stops (or zones, if you prefer). This is accomplished most accurately through film testing, but you can certainly use others' evaluations on standard films, until ready for that degree of specificity. The ZS may best be visualized as a sliding scale of exposure. You slide the relatively small range of your film up or down the range of the scene for best exposure. At its simplest, when more than 7 or so zones of light are present in the scene, you decide where to place your shadows, and then how much to decrease (contract) development (again, eventually through film testing) to reign in highlights. Conversely, when the lighted scene contains less than 5 to 7 stops, one
may wish to increase (expand) development to extend the
range
of
light (
) expressed in your film.
Take advantage of the information and resources offered here, and stick with it.
The Negative is the bible for zonies. Once grasped, its use will pay dividends, taking virtually all the guesswork out of exposure – though unfortunately not visualization
.
Bookmarks